Harmless
by NNdaboss556
Summary: Sirius Black was bored. And when Sirius Black is bored, bad things happen. But this time it's not too bad... is it? Sirius comes up with the clever idea to time travel to the year 2000 to see themselves in the future. But is it really all that they hoped? And more importantly, will they destroy the timeline in the process?
1. Chapter 1

The Dangers of a Marauder's Idea

Sirius Black was bored, and when Sirius Black was bored, bad things happened. He was sitting in his dormitory, brainstorming ideas for a new prank. His best friend, James Potter, was off stalking his crush, Lily Evans, and his other friends Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew were studying together at the library. Sirius, for one, thought studying was for nerds. Or losers. It was then that he had what he considered his best idea yet. He opened the Marauders map, located James, and ran off to find his best friend.

A quarter hour later, James and Sirius made their way to the library to look for books. James, Sirius and books are normally not words to be heard in a sentence together, but Sirius had an idea. His best idea. And he was going to do anything it took to make it work. James was grumpy, because apparently he had been getting some quality "Lily watching time" before Sirius had tore off his invisibility cloak, resulting in them having a few hexes thrown at them. Soon enough they reached the library, a place they had practically never been in except to pick up Remus or Peter. They took a few deep breaths, as though entering a library was a life-threatening task- to them perhaps it was- and stepped in. One of their other best friends, Remus glanced up at them and sighed exasperatedly.

'What is it now?' he asked.

' Actually, we aren't here for you, although once we find what we're looking for, we'll make sure to include you and Peter.' said Sirius.

Remus looked at them very suspiciously. For some reason, everyone seemed to think that the day James and Sirius went into a library with free will was the day they finally lost it. James snorted, and quickly opened and pulled Sirius under his invisibility cloak.

Remus let out an outraged shout: ' Where'dya think you're going?!' as they slipped into the restricted section.

'Ah Ha!' Sirius cried loundly, pulling out an old book called mysteries of time.

'What was that?' madame Pince, the librarian asked. Madame Pince was a thin and bony woman with many wrinkles and tight lines etched into her face. She was known for her extreame temper, throwing people out of the library for the smallest of reasons.

' Sorry, miss.' They heard Remus reply quickly. ' I just found what I've been looking for.'

Meanwhile, Sirius opened the book but was disapointed to find that it just contained strange history stories. Many more false alarms followed, until James eventually found ' _rarest and strangest- anciant forgotten spells_ '

'Oooooooooh' said Sirius, flipping through it. ' Look!' he hissed excitedly. ' Time travel!' they had found what they were looking for.


	2. Chapter 2

**How to Spell Time Travel**

It took a good two days to convince Remus to agree to Sirius' idea. He had insisted that it was too dangerous.

'C'mon, what could go wrong?' asked Sirius. At Remus' sarcastic raised eyebrow he insisted. 'It'll be Harmless!'

When they finally did, using the good old 'maybe there will be a cure to lycoperthery in the future' trick, Remus insisted they changed their appearance beforehand, and didn't tell anyone when they were from so they wouldn't create a time paradox. They had agreed to his demands and headed straight to their dormitories, where the book sat, innocently, waiting for them. Peter had asked if he could cast the spell, and they, of course, had agreed. Remus cast the spell to change their appearance. James now had red hair and green eyes 'like Lily' he had announced proudly. Sirius had shortened his hair and turned it blond, and changed his eyes to brown. Remus and Peter both darkened their hair and eyes.

'Alright.' Said Sirius. 'Remember Peter, September 1st 2020.'

'I know.' He squeaked.

They had decided on that date because they figured that they wouldn't move very far place-wise, and then they could be at Hogwarts just before school started for the year.  
'What if Hogwarts doesn't exist?' Remus had questioned shrilly. 'What if it became- becomes= whatever- a death eater hideout?'

But Sirius had just waved away his concerns, muttering again that it would be 'Harmless.'

' Alright.' Said Remus quietly. ' Remember what I told you. Now go Peter, cast the spell.' Remus was worried. It was against his very nature to agree to do something like this, in yet here he was anyway. Meanwhile, Peter lifted his wand, took a deep breath and cried the spell from the book.

'TEMPEREGINA!'

Peter concentrated really hard on the date, squeezing his eyes shut. Meanwhile the other three found themselves surrounded by a glowing silvery- blue mist which swirled from the ground to the roof.

' I don't think Peter's coming with us.' Said James, noticing that the last Marauder wasn't in the circle. Suddenly a golden ball of light seemed to explode inside the spiral, filling everything, even their minds, and tugging at them from all sides until the light grew so bright that even their closed eyelids couldn't keep it out. Then all three of them were dragged into the ball of light and everything went black.

When Peter opened his eyes, he found himself alone in the dormitory, no one in sight.


	3. Chapter 3

A Good Alibi

The first thing the Marauders saw when they opened their eyes was the Hogwarts hallway outside the headmasters office.

' Oh great it didn't work. It just _teleported_ us. Hang on , this could be useful.' Sirius exclaimed. Remus was the first to realize the difference.

' This wall... It looks cleaner, newer. And were these cracks always here?' He muttered, stroking the stone walls.

' Hmm- why would they rebuild Hogwarts in the future after all these years? And why rebuild it but not remove the cracks?' he questioned. James stared at him, then at the wall.

' Moony, I think that you're right. Hey let's talk to Dumbledore and see what's up.' He walked over to the gargoyle and began going through the usuals. ' Sherbet lemon, Chocolate frogs, Bertie Botts every flavour beans, Sugar quills, Pumpkin pastries-'

' We haven't had passwords like that since Dumbledore was headmaster.' Came a familiar strict voice and they spun to see Minerva McGonagall, only far older, with gray hair and many wrinkles.

' Pro- Professor McGonagall' gasped Remus, only barely refraining from crying "Oh how you've aged!"

' Headmistress McGonagall, actually.' She replied, eyes narrowing on the boys. ' Who are you, and what are you doing at Hogwarts?'

'Erm...' they had not thought about that, and all of their brains were still busy trying to process the fact that Albus Dumbledore was dead. That it was physically possible for Albus Dumbledore to die.

' We are trans- transfer students.' Said James stiffly after a few moments of silence. ' We were looking for the headmaster- mistress.'

' Yes we were homeschooled, but we decided to try a real school' Added Sirius quickly. Remus, realizing that they didn't look related, said: ' We've been best friends for ages so when our families happened to err- moved here, we decided to go to Hogwarts.'

' Alright...' said the headmistress. ' And you're names are... ?'

'James Patterson' James lied.

' Siri- os- er- Siros Black- wood, yeah- Siros Blackwood.' Sirius invented wildly.

' Romulas Armston.' Said Remus calmly.

'hmmm...' she said. ' I don't remember sending you a Hogwarts invite.'

' Oh well- ha ha ha- funny story really.' sputtered Sirius nervously. Remus nudged him roughly.

' You didn't. My father thought you must not have gotten the letter requesting to attend Hogwarts, so we came in person.' Remus lied smoothly.

' Good, good.' She replied distractedly. ' You will need to get sorted of course- the ceremony is tomorrow. What year are you in?'

' Sixth,' they answered in unison.

' Well boys, welcome to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry!'


	4. Chapter 4

**Differences and discoveries**

The head boy, Dennis Creevey, welcomed them, ushered them to his table to sit while they waited to be sorted, and told them a bit about Hogwarts, all of which they knew of, until he said:

' And Hogwarts is of course most famous for the battle of Hogwarts, when Harry Potter finally defeated You-Know- Voldemort once and for all.'

' _Battle of_ _Hogwarts_ _!?'_ gasped Sirius.

' _Defeated_ Voldemort!?' cried Remus.

' Harry _Potter!?'_ exclaimed James.

' Yes.' He replied, narrowing his eyes at them. ' When so many died... including my bro-brother.' He whispered, voice shaking. They managed process and understand all of what he was saying, except for the Harry Potter bit.

' So who is this- uh- Harry Potter?' asked James hesitantly.

' Only the boy-who-lived!' said Dennis. ' The bravest man who I've ever met!'

' Er- Any relation to James Potter?' asked Sirius.

' Course, do you know of him? In some of the many articles I've read about him, it mentioned he was Harry's father who died the night Harry defeated Voldemort for the first time.' The marauders stiffened, and Sirius felt tears tugging at his eyelids. _His best friend was dead, and James son defeated Voldemort!_ Before they could ask any more questions, the sorting ended, and Mrs. McGonagall stood to give her speech.

' Welcome all, to another year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry! Unfortunately, Pomona Sprout,' the marauders looked up at the familiar name ' Has decided to retire. We have a new Herbology teacher, Neville Longbottom.'

' Longbottom?' Remus hissed to them, ' As in Frank Longbottom, the auror?' James and Sirius nodded in affirmative, observing the new professor, who stood up, blushing. A great shout of applause, greater than any other they had ever heard, went up around the hall, though Remus noticed the Slytherins didn't look as cheerful.

'Blimey, Neville!' cried Dennis, clapping.

' You know him?'

' Course, anyone who fought for the light in the year of the battle knew him. He was the leader of Dumbledore's army in the dark year.'

' Dumbledore's army?'

' A group who fought against the death eaters.'

'We also have new students.' Professor McGonagall's voice interrupted them, 'A rare occurrence, but with Hogwarts newfound _fame_ ' she sound a bit sarcastic. ' Not unexpected. These are James Patterson, Siros Blackwood, and Romulus Armstrong, joining sixth year. Now, then, they will need to get sorted. Um- So then, Mr. Armstrong, you first.' James watched as his friend stumbled to the front, appearing almost as nervous as the first time around. After a moment, however, the hat sorted him into Gryffindor; and Sirius quickly followed, the hat sorting him almost instantly. When it was his turn he strutted forward, having no doubt of where he was going.

' _Hmm... Ambitious, arrogant, clever... you have some nice Slytherin traits there'_ James barley resisted the urge to rip the hat off his head.

' _No? Not all Slytherins are bad, you know. Everyone seems to forget about Slughorn, who fought in the battle, or Regulus Black, who died-'_

'Regulus!?'

' _But you're right, I'm rambling. You're also brave, loyal, reckless, and a prankster. I suppose It'll be-'_

'GRYFFINDOR!'

James quickly returned to the table, vowing not to speak of this to his friends, ever. Soon the plates filled with food, and James, finding himself rather hungry, ate his fill and more.

After dinner, Dennis took them to their dorm, which they shared with three other boys, Euan Abercrombie, Cronus Quaker, and Jean Swonman. The dormitory looked completely different than they remembered it, but that was to be expected. Upon asking about the cracked new walls, Dennis had explained to them that since the walls were destroyed by magic, that cracks couldn't be completely removed. The marauders really did not like the sound of this whole battle thing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Cold, Hard Stone; Cold, Hard Place**

The marauders had the whole first day off, no classes, so they decided to make the best of it by discovering more about the future. Dennis had told them the day before about a war memorial built by the lake which had the names of those who died in the battle of Hogwarts, so they headed there after breakfast. It was a terribly windy day, and the gales bit sharply into the marauders flesh through their scarves as they walked. And then, there it was; a tall, flat, almost majestic stone of pure white marble. On the top it read:

 _In Memory_

The names were printed side by side, row by row, in alphabetical order.

'So many,' whispered Remus softly, his words almost carried away with the breeze before Sirius could catch them. He allowed his eyes to travel the stone.

' Creevey. That would be Dennis' brother. And- oh no.' Sirius broke off, pointing at the name. 'Nymphadora Tonks. My cousin.'

Suddenly Remus gulped softly, stumbling back. His entire face has gone stark white, and his hand shook as he pointed to the name carved into the solid stone.

 _Remus Lupin_

Sirius said nothing, but took James hand in his and clenched it tightly, never wanting to let go for fear of him dying, disappearing forever and leaving him all alone. Sirius raised his other hand to trace the names on the marble, feeling each crevice in the rock; each carving which was a name of a person who died, and was gone forever from the world, all too soon. Luckily, he did not recognize any more names, but it was bad enough with the ones he did.

' 1998. I was only 37.' Remus whispered.

' Yeah, well mate,' said James, letting go of Sirius' hand, and putting his on Remus' shoulder instead. 'I die at 20, so really, you shouldn't be complaining.' Sirius felt another stab of pain at the revelation. James only had about 4 years left to live.

The Marauders had returned inside, completely shaken, and eaten lunch in silence. After lunch Sirius had taken a deep breath and said,

'It was a mistake to come here. We need to go back home.'

They had spent the afternoon searching the restricted section under James invisibility cloak; which he had brought with him, for the book, and at last, Remus found it. Sirius opened it and flipped to the right page.

' It's a good thing the library wasn't destroyed in the battle.' Remus commented with false lightness.

'Ah hah! Wait- The Counter-spell is a potion?'

'Are you telling me,' Remus asked, his voice dangerously low, ' That you sent us off without even checking that there was a counter spell?'

'Um... I refuse to answer that question.'

' Hmm- it looks easy to make but- It needs a month to brew!?'

James read the book. ' Well, we may as find out as much as we can about the future while we're here.'

'Yes, I suppose so. But for now, bring that cloak of yours. We have some potion ingredients to steal!'


	6. Chapter 6

**What we shouldn't know**

'Alarte acendare!' Hissed James again, jabbing his wand violently at his spider.

'You must flick upward!' Professor Flitwick told him in his squeaky voice as he walked past. James groaned, and pushed some of his now red hair out of his eyes. Remus' spider flew repeatedly into the air already, and even Sirius had at least had some results. He just couldn't concentrate!

 _Which is reasonable, all things considered..._

He admitted to himself. Before he knew it class was ending, and the marauders, who only were taking the basic courses, had a free period before lunch.

'Let's do some research,' He said 'I want to know what happened to you and Peter.' Sirius nodded in agreement.

'I wonder if I'm dead too'

'Don't say that. Let's see what we can find in the library.' Said Remus quietly.

Remus, Sirius, and James spent an hour looking through the library for new books. ' _The battle of Hogwarts', 'Dumbledore's army and the order of the phoenix,'_ and _'The second wizarding war.'_ Were all useful books to flip through, granting them a little more knowledge about their future, but contained nothing of the important information that they really wanted. James drew his hand along the rows of brand new books in this area of the library. Most of the place was filled with near-ancient magic history and spell hardcovers, but here was a bookshelf full of books written in the past 2 years; all fresh, with unblemished pages and firmly attached covers. Suddenly his eyes fell on a book at the very top of the shelves. He stood on his tiptoes and managed to pull it from its spot, but it landed on the ground with a loud _smack!_ He picked it up. ' _Fighters of war'_

' _Bingo.'_ Suddenly a loud screech filled the area.

' Mr. Patterson!' It was Madame Pince.

' _Poor bloke'_ James thought, stifling a chuckle. Then to Sirius and Remus he said:

'I think I got it!' They only stared back at him with wide eyes. Before he could so much as open his mouth again, a vice like grip closed around his arm.

' _Oh yeah. I'm Mr. Patterson.'_

'Throwing books around? Absolutely DISGRACFUL! Never in all my years...'

And before he knew it he was out of the library, in the corridor, Remus and Sirius beside him.

'Thanks a lot, James.' Snapped Remus. ' What are we going to do now?'

'Don't worry. I've got the book.'

Remus opened it and read.

' _The first and second wizarding wars against Lord Voldemort were brutal. The most well known fighters were those of the battle of Hogwarts, but there were others, mostly members of the order of the phoenix, who died before. Another aspect of this book is all the fighters on the dark side, spies and supporters.'_ He turned the page.

'Dumbledore's army, Potterwatch, Harry Potter, and- ah hah!' Remus muttered out loud, flipping through the pages. 'Order of the phoenix: Who was really the spy?'

' _For 15 long years, Sirius Black was thought to be the Dark Lord's second in command, a spy, and the murderer of 12 muggles and Peter Pettigrew. However, in 1996, He was killed fighting with death eaters to protect Harry Potter. Albus Dumbledore (deceased) explained to the minister, amongst other things, how in reality, Peter Pettigrew, an unregistered rat animagus, was the spy and murderer of the muggles. He faked his own death and later went on to resurrect the Dark Lord (1995).'_

The marauders were silent.


	7. Chapter 7

**The real, the fake, and the future**

'Oooooh as soon as we get home I'm going to kill Peter! Literally!' Exclaimed James, shaking.

' You will do no such thing.' hissed Remus, flipping violently through the book. ' You'll destroy the time line. What if, by doing what he did, Peter unintentionally saved a hundred muggles lives?'

' He didn't save muggles! He killed-'

'Somehow brought about by what he did.' Interjected Remus. ' Oh, wait, it's better than that! Read this section on Harry Potter.' James absorbed the words hungrily as he read the pages.

' My son defeated Voldemort? Twice? And- Come on, Peter is responsible for me dying too!? Me and- wait- LILY! I MARRY LILY!'

' You're missing the point, James. By betraying you to Voldemort, Peter unknowingly caused the defeat of Voldemort.'

' I guess you're right.' James admitted. 'Sirius? What do you think of- SIRIUS!' James' best friend was standing completely still, eyes focusing on some point in between them. His nails dug into his palms so hard that they drew blood, and his face was colourless.

' The shock's got to him. Drag him along, we'll get some calming draught. I could use some too.'

After they had all had a calming potion, they thanked Slughorn and were making to leave when Remus caught sight of a tall glass container in the far corner holding potions.

'What's the one on the left? I've never seen it before.' Remus suspected that it was a newly invented potion, and wanted to know about it.

'Oh, most haven't, Mr. Armston. Rare and difficult to brew. It's called Wolfsbane.' Remus' heart rate tripled as Slughorn continued.

' As long as the werewolf in question takes the potion once a day for a week before the full moon, it will keep its mind while transformed.'

Remus' jaw fell open slightly. Sirius and James grinned.

Remus was reading the book, ' _Fighters of war,'_ in more careful detail when James and Sirius, who had been out for the last while, burst into the common room, looking excited. Remus was relieved to see Sirius, desperate to tell him what he had found.

' Sirius- LOOK!' He shoved the book, on a chapter titled changing sides, under his friend's nose.

' Moony, we got you a present!' cried James.

' Read first.' He replied. Sirius and James read the page.

'R.A.B.- Very cryptic. I like it.'

My brothers dead too!' wailed Sirius, burrowing his head in his hands. ' I'm glad he made the right decision though.'

James and Remus exchanged a worried glance.

'This place will only cause more pain. We need to go back home.' Sirius finally said, standing up.

'Well, only 26 more days to go.'

James extended Remus' gift now, and he was shocked to see the red sheened potion from the container.

'No,'

'Yes.' Said Sirius.

For a moment Remus stared at the vile, then, deciding not to ask how they got it, he said.

'You guys are the most amazing friends ever. I don't know how I'll ever make this up to you.'

'You won't.' They chimed jokingly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Anyone can be a hero**

On Saturday Remus, Sirius, and James had decided that it was time to have a bit of fun in the future, and had headed down to the quidditch pitch, James and Sirius practically dragging their friend along. They had just arrived and James was grinning like an idiot, muttering about how 'At least it hadn't changed'. Sirius snuck off to the broom storage shed and with a quick alohamora, stepped inside. It was a small room, with school and player brooms on the wall and a chest with game and practice balls. Sirius picked up two of the school ones. They were light and smooth, with pointed twigs at the end and mahogany handles. ' _Nimbus 2001'_ They both read. Sirius had never seen brooms like this, and excitement began to drive away the steady depression that he had been feeling for the past few days. He raced from the shed, itching to start flying.

James and Sirius put the brooms away as the sun began to set. They had missed lunch, but neither cared. Even James' brand new Nimbus 1983 was junk compared to the Firebolt 2's. Energized, the two boys were dragging a now very grumpy Remus back inside when they passed the memorial stone. Heart panging, Sirius couldn't help but to glance at it one more time, and instantly, and feelings of exuberance left him. He felt like someone had punched him in the stomach.

'No way.' He proclaimed, pointing to the name. _Severus Snape._ James' jaw dropped.

'Come on!' Hissed Remus, ignoring the memorial. Only then did Sirius realize that his bad mood was because the full moon was only a day away.

'Did you take the potion?' James asked, obviously thinking the same thing. Remus snorted.

'It tastes bloody awful by the way,' was his reply. Sirius turned to James as they headed inside.

'Severus Snape. It said Severus Snape.'

'I know,' James replied. 'You don't think they made a mistake?' Sirius snorted.

'On a war memorial? No way.'

When they entered the main hall, dinner was already on the table. They sat down at the Gryffindor table, and James and Sirius, realizing their hunger, began to eat rapidly. They were scraping the last morsels from their plates when Dennis sat down beside them.

'Where were you all day?' He asked.

'Playing quidditch.' Answered James, looking up.

'Quidditch? You don't have brooms do you?'

'We used the school ones.' James clarified. Dennis raised an eyebrow but said nothing about the locked shed.

'Dennis?' asked Sirius abruptly. 'Do you know Severus Snape?'

'Professor Snape? Oh yes, he was the potions master here at Hogwarts in my first two years, and was for thirteen years before that. He taught Defence in my third year, and was headmaster in the dark year.'

'Snivellus- A- A teacher?' spluttered James.

'Oh yes, he was horrible and we all thought he was a death eater who killed Dumbledore, but it turns out he was a spy, and died giving Harry some important information that he needed to defeat Voldemort.' Said Dennis, sounding rather detached as he spoke.

'How can you be sure?' Asked Sirius, shocked. Remus, who had evidently been listening, snorted.

'Harry insisted. And if he, the one who hated Snape the most, could say he was innocent, we could believe him.'

'So he became a spy despite all that had happened.' Stated Remus, before nodding goodbye to Dennis and whisking out of the hall, shaking slightly on weary feet. With a glance, James and Sirius were up and following him.

The other two marauders watched as Remus downed the smoking potion, emptying the goblet. He gagged and chocked, but managed to swallow.

'This better be worth it.' He muttered irritably aloud, his eyes trained on the small cup, which continued to smoke eerily.

' Why'd you leave the hall in such a rush before?' James asked after a moment.

'I just couldn't believe,' Remus swallowed hard. ' That our enemy turned out to be a hero , while our best friend betrayed us.' They were silent. Sirius lowered his eyes to stare at his lap, trying to push away the now familiar feelings of anger and fear that had been pestering him since they had read his future. He breathed deeply and looked up. James stared at the floor, visibly shaken, his face pale, while Remus gazed out the window at the forming clouds, unconsciously wringing his hands. Sirius closed his eyes for a moment.  
 _This is not the marauders._

'Guys. The school doesn't know that the world's best pranksters are right here, right now.'

'Oh?' Asked James, the spark already returning to his eyes.

'It's time for them to get a taste of what their dealing with. It's time for a prank.'


	9. Chapter 9

**Moony, Padfoot and Prongs**

The next morning, the school started the day with a rather shocking wakeup call; the marauders had charmed the breakfast food. The student's hair had turned a wide variety of colours. A young Hufflepuff girl ran from the room with bright green hair. A Ravenclaw boy buried his red face in his hands, his hair an atrocious pink. Dennis fingered his now purple locks. Even Mrs. McGonagall's hair had changed, now a shade of orange that clashed horribly with her complexion. Only three people remain unscathed; Remus, who watched quietly, his face pale, and James and Sirius, who rolled about on the ground, laughing manically.

'Mr. Patterson, Mr. Blackwood!' Mrs. McGonagall exclaimed. She shot a glance at Remus, but seemed to decide that he had done nothing to prove his guilt. 'Did you do this?'

'A good prankster never admits guilt, dearest Minn- er Professor.' Answered Sirius, smirking.

'Get rid of this, now!'

'It'll wear off in a few hours.' James replied calmly.

'Detention with Filch tonight at 7:30.' _Tonight! Tonight was the full moon!_ James realized, panicking. But luckily for them, Sirius wasn't done.

'Ah but professor, you can't give someone detention with no reason.'

'But- but you admitted you did it!'

'I merely stated an unrelated fact, ma'am. And with all due respect, James may have just known this charm and how it works from a book.'

'I-' she stuttered into silence.

'You'll find it hard to pin something on us. We're experienced in this field.'

'This field- why if that isn't proof enough-'

'How do you know that I didn't mean the field of getting out of undeserved detentions?'  
And the marauders swept from the hall.

By that evening, the everyone knew that the two of them (Remus was happy to not be included) had pranked the whole school-and gotten away with it! A few kids asked them what charm they used, and Sirius would respond with a wink,

'I don't know what you're talking about.'

At 8:00 that night the three marauders snuck out to the whomping willow. Without Peter there, Sirius sustained a few rough whacks from the tree before he managed to press the knot. They quickly made their way through the tunnel, Remus stumbling and tripping as they went.

'I hope the potion works!' muttered James as Remus began to moan.

'Change!' the werewolf managed to choke out before starting to convulse. Sirius and James exchanged a glance a before quickly shifting to their animagus forms. Remus shrieked a little as he transformed, but after a moment, his body fully changed, he sat still, eyes darting around the room. He rose to his feet and as the other two marauders watched, he nodded at them. The potion had worked. None of them could believe it. Now that Remus had his full mind, it would be like he was a mere animagus. Needless to say, the marauders had great fun exploring the grounds that night.


	10. Chapter 10

**Where I don't belong**

After the full moon, Remus practically skipped around the castle, a grin permanently plastered on his face. James and Sirius were themselves rather overjoyed about the whole scenario. Most unfortunately for them, however, Remus was hit by a saddening revelation. The potion to return home would be done in 18 days; it was currently brewing in a hidden alcove of the forbidden forest, and he would be unable to use Wolfsbane again for many years. After that the grin sort of slid from his face.

That day, Sirius and James played quidditch again, and this time managed to drag Remus into it. The only result was that Remus decided that the better the broom, the worse the game. At lunch, the marauders were eating their cheesed stuffed veal (Yes, this sort of stuff did exist), when Cronus, a boy in their dorm, sat down beside them.

'Hi James, Siros, Romulus. How're you finding Hogwarts?' They stared at each other for a moment. _How_ were _they finding Hogwarts?_

' Oh great. The castle's huge, though- I um- keep getting lost.' Said Sirius, and James snickered quietly at how wrong those words were.

'You went to Hogwarts during the- er, war year right? What was it like?' James asked.

Cronus winced. 'Three proffesors were death eaters- well, technically two, if you don't count Snape, who was headmaster. They taught muggle studies and Dark arts-'

'DARK ARTS?!' exclaimed the marauders together.

'Oh yes, we were forced to use the cruciatus curse on those who earned detentions and I remember-' he broke off. 'I don't really want to talk about it.' But they had heard plently enough; Remus was white, Sirius was shaking, and James looked like he was going to vomit. Suddenly, Remus thought of Harry Potter, who he had read of in the book _fighters of war_ and a clever idea formed in his head.

'We do miss our parents. We're going to visit them this weekend.' He told Cronus.

'We are?' Asked Sirius. James elbowed him sharply in the ribs. 'I mean- We are!'

Cronus nodded. ' I suppose you're used to being at home with them, huh?'

' Yep,' replied James cheerfully. 'So we're- um...'

' Excited to see them.' Interjected Remus with a glare at the others. As soon as lunch was over, he practically dragged his friends from the grand hall.

'So... What's this sudden visit to our parents' all about?' asked Sirius.

'Guys, it's time we pay a little visit to this mysterious Harry Potter.'


	11. Chapter 11

**Sticks and stones**

For a moment Sirius and James just gaped silently at Remus. Then:

'How did you find out where he lived?!'

'How are we going to get there?'

Remus chuckled at their enthusiasm. 'It was in a book I read about him, but it also said that his and his fiancé's flat was warded against unauthorized owls or visitors, to limit fans.'

'Then how are we going to get in then?' Asked Sirius, confused.

'The door is blood warded, to only Potters- which is really just him I guess, Weasleys- His Fiancé's family- or those keyed to the wards.'

'And that will help us how?' Asked James sarcastically.

'Potter. Potter, you idiot!'

'Huh?' James and Sirius asked together.

'YOU. ARE. A. POTTER, JAMES!'

'Oooooohhhhhhh.' They chorused, and Remus groaned.

'I'll check with Professor McGonagall, but we should be able to leave on Friday after classes.'

'How long until class is over?' James asked Sirius excitedly for the tenth time in the past minute.

'Would you shut the bloody hell up?' snapped Sirius, but James continued, undeterred.

'I can't believe I'm going to meet my son. Lily and my son! I wonder if he'll believe us. I hope Remus has a plan.' James had been annoying the hell out of Sirius for the past day, and as he attempted to transfigure his toad into a squirrel, his mate's overexcited chatting was making it impossible to concentrate.

'Yes, and he's my godson. Now would you shut the bloody hell UP?!' James fell silent for a moment, tapping his fingers on the table, before drawing his wand and pointing at Sirius' toad.

'Reducto.' The amphibian exploded, leaving only a pile of guts and blood on the table. Sirius reeled back in shock, eyes wide.

'Mr. Patterson!' Snapped the transfiguration Professor as she cleaned the desk with a flick of her wand. 'Ten points from Gryffindor. If it happens again, you'll get detention too.' James grumbled, and turned to Sirius, who glared at him.

'What can I say? I was bored.'

As soon as transfiguration was over, the three marauders headed to McGonagall's office.

'Remember,' said Remus as they walked. 'Keep your voice quiet when you say the street. I'm sure Professor McGonagall knows where-'

'Yes, yes, we get it. Now let's go.' Said James, pulling the other two into the office. Professor McGonagall was sitting at her ornately carved wooden desk, her quill dashing quickly over the parchment before her. When they entered, she looked up, her golden glasses propped on her nose.

'The floo powder is above the fireplace. Am I correct in assuming that you will be returning on Monday?'

'Yes ma'am.' Said Remus and Sirius while James nodded violently before rushing forward to go first. After James, Sirius went through, but as Remus took a handful of floo powder and prepared to leave, his eyes caught on the large, golden framed portrait behind the headmistress' desk. _Dumbledore._ His blue eyes twinkled as he sent a sly wink at Remus, who was immediately unsettled by the understanding look. Face turning red, he grabbed the floo powder and muttered the name of Harry Potter's street.

When the marauders opened their eyes, they were in a small, claustrophobic store that seemed to sell artifacts of some sort.

'Huh. Well, I guess the floo needs to match up with a fireplace.' Said Remus quietly as he, Sirius and James slipped from the store, to find themselves on a small, tree lined street rimmed with small apartments and town houses.

'That's Harry Potter's place there. I read that they're planning on moving somewhere bigger soon, but for now this is where we'll find them.'

'Will we have to go in through the building?' asked Sirius.

'No, each one on the bottom floor seems to have another entry door, so we can probably get in through there.' Remus told them. James approached slowly, and a few steps from the door stopped.

'The wards are here. Um, grab on to me? Maybe then you can get through too.'

So the three marauders reached the door, and Sirius reached up and knocked hard. It opened a crack but no one came out.

'How did you get through the wards?' Asked a voice that sounded frustrated and angry. 'Can you leave? We don't like fans bothering us-'

'We're not fans. You might not know us, but the reason we're here is very important.' Piped up James excitedly.

'Death eaters. Still trying to get revenge?' The guy- Harry Potter- said angrily. 'Nice try.' The door flew open, and a man who looked near identical to James, (except for his eyes and numerous scars) stood in the doorframe, wand pointed straight at them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Family from future**

'Incarorus!' Sirius let out a squeak of surprise as he was tied up.

'No! We're not death eaters!' cried James, pulling on his friends bonds.

'We are Remus Lupin, James Potter and Sirius Black! We time travelled!' gasped Remus. The man froze, but didn't lower his wand.

'Prove it.' Was his reply. Remus stared at him. _How could they prove who they were?_ He had no choice.

'Did you know me well? Very well?' He asked.

'Yes.' Said Harry Potter. 'I mean, I knew Remus.'

'Then I suppose you knew' the familiar feelings of guilt and self-disgust rose within him. 'That I am- was- a werewolf.'

'You're going to have to do better than that. At the end of my third year, everyone found out that you were a werewolf.' He replied. Remus winced.

'But I bet that they didn't know that we were all animagus!' Piped up James excitedly.

'No,' Replied Harry carefully. 'They only knew about Peter after the war. Not Sirius, and definitely not you.' He paused. 'Shift forms. Do it now, and I'll believe you.' James and Sirius exchanged a nervous glance. What if someone was watching? They glanced around for a moment, but both decided as one that the possible rewards far outweighed the risks. James shifted first, his body morphing and twisting into his familiar stag form, and Sirius followed close after. Harry Potter stared at them for a moment, then brushed his fingers against Prongs' velvety fur.

'You can turn back now. I believe you.' James and Sirius changed back, and for a moment they were silent before Harry said,

'We have much to talk about. Come in.'

They entered, and Harry shut the heavy-looking oak door behind them.

'So, how did you get here?' He asked. _Figures that would be the first question._

'Sirius here-' He started sarcastically and Sirius glared. 'Had a brilliant idea to time travel to the year 2000 to see how _GREAT_ our future was. He and James found a strange time travel spell in an old book. Not that it was a good thing, but we were lucky that it worked and that we didn't somehow die!'

Harry snorted in amusement, but then sobered up.

'How much do you know?'


	13. Chapter 13

**Past, present and future**

'We know- um, most things.' Said Sirius quietly.

'We know about our deaths, and the war, and Peter.' Said James, with no trace of humour in his voice. Harry Potter stared at them through his glasses with piercing green eyes- just like Lily's, they realized as one.

'It was most tragic, but despite the deaths, the outcome was surprisingly good. I hope you realize,' Harry's voice became low and dark. 'That you can't change a thing.' He looked closely at James, his eyes glistening with regret. 'If you hadn't died the first wizarding war wouldn't have ended. Who knows what would happen?' There was silence. Then,

'We know.' Surprisingly, it wasn't Remus who said it, but Sirius.

'Now then.' Said Harry a bit more cheerfully, ushering them into a cozy living room area. 'How are you going to get back?' The marauders glanced at one another.

'We're brewing the counter-potion now in the forbidden forest where no one will find it.' Replied Remus. 'It will be done in 12 days.'

'Alright.' Said Harry. 'And you be leaving as soon as it's ready?' As he spoke he waved his wand in a complicated pattern and a plate of biscuits appeared before them.

'Of course.' Said James, grabbing one and taking a bite.

'So I'm guessing you've stayed at Hogwarts?'

'Yep. We were previously "homeschooled".' He answered. Harry nodded thoughtfully.

'So what happened with Sirius in third year? Actually, what happened your whole life? From what we've found it's been very exciting.' Rambled James excitedly.

'I don't think you should know anymore then you already do. It's better that way.'

The marauders nodded in reluctant agreement.

'I'll be right back.' Harry said suddenly. Then he disappeared into the kitchen. The instant he was gone James turned to his best friends.

'My son is so cool!'

'He attacked us!' squawked Sirius indigently

'You don't even know him.' Said Remus. James huffed.

'He fought Voldemort many times and defeated him for good two years ago. Now I've met him and he's not even a jerk. What more do I need to know?' Sirius rolled his eyes and took his sixth cookie.

'He did help future me escape Azkaban in his third year, and proved my innocence- after my death mind you, but still.' Then Harry re-entered the room, now with a fiery looking women with orange hair.

'Guys, meet my fiancé, Ginny Weasley,'

'Weasley... I don't think I've heard that name. Are you muggle-born?' asked Sirius inquisitively.

'I've heard it.' Said Remus. 'Arthur and Molly Weasley are about eight years older than us.'

Ginny nodded, appearing unfazed by their presence. 'Those are my parents.' She said.

'I told her the basic details of what's going on.' Harry told them. 'You will be staying in the guest room of our flat until Monday.'

James was smirking at the couple. 'Figures you ended up with her. Potters always marry red heads.' Remus groaned. 'Just because your mother and grandmother were red heads doesn't mean-'

'And my great-grandmother, and I marry Lily I'll have you remember.' James snapped playfully. Sirius reached over and ruffled his already messy hair.

'Maybe you married some other women named Lily. She hates your guts, mate.' James seemed to deflate at Sirius' words.

'Do you really think so? I mean, I know I haven't done good job of winning her over but- but I've tried! That must count for something.'

Harry chuckled. 'I can assure you, my mother was Lily Evans.' James brightened instantly, and smirked at Sirius.

'Ha!' Sirius glowered at him and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'Prat' Harry and Ginny grinned at their antics.

'I'll set up some mattress' downstairs for you.' Said Ginny cheerfully. The marauders looked at each other, then at Harry, who watched, eyes twinkling with amusement. Then Sirius cried,

'First one to the guest room gets the bed!' And the Marauders were off, following Ginny's tracks down the hall, pushing and shoving as they went.


	14. Chapter 14

**Playing with time**

Three boys awoke early on a Monday morning. Light was flooding into the room through the open windows, coxing them out from their blankets. James yawned and clambered from the bed, aiming a kick at Sirius' head as he did so.

'OI!' His best mate exclaimed, covering his head.

'Get up!' James screeched. 'We have to get back to Hogwarts.'

'In time for classes.' Added Remus groggily, climbing from his mattress. Sirius rose slowly and awkwardly.

'This wouldn't have been a problem if I got the bed.' He muttered grumpily, stretching his stiff limbs.

'Come on!' said James, practically dragging Sirius from the room. They had brought nothing to their little "visit", so they had nothing to pack. Truthfully, if Professor McGonagall hadn't provided them with extra school robes, they would have had nothing to change into at all. Harry had ended up telling them a bit more about the future, but only to fill out what they already knew. How Voldemort returned, The order of the phoenix, and the whole fiasco with Peter- No, Pettigrew, James reminded himself sternly- his name was Pettigrew. He had also keyed them to his floo, so they, and they alone, could go in and out of it.

Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Harry were all in the living room when they came in.

'So we'll see you next weekend one more time before you go back?' Harry checked.

'Yep.' Said James, grabbing a handful of floo powder and chanting; 'Hogwarts.' There was a glitter of gray powder, a flash of green flames, and then James was stumbling out into the empty white and gold office of the headmistress. Remus and Sirius followed soon after, and the latter tripped and fell flat on his face, causing James and Remus to guffaw at him while he glared. Then they headed straight to DADA.

Remus was in the library. This wasn't a rare or unexpected occurrence for Remus, but what he was doing there was. He wasn't reading or completing homework, no, instead he was staring at the wall. To others he might have looked strange, but he didn't really care. The wall had the same type of cracks as all the others, he noted. Unlike other walls, a muggle method had been used- the cracks were sealed with plaster. He wondered why they hadn't done it for others- but then, he supposed, it didn't look much better. He guessed that it was merely to keep the heat in. Part of it had been rebricked with a stone of a slightly darker shade. As Remus contemplated this- Perhaps some books were destroyed after all- James and Sirius came barreling in.

'Rem- Romulus!' Called James, grabbing his arm.

'There you are! Quidditch tryouts are today! You have to watch me and Sirius play.'

'James...' Remus said in a warning tone.

'What?'

'Oh, there you are.' Muttered Sirius, coming out from behind a bookshelf.

'You can't try out!' Remus snapped. 'We're leaving in eight days.'

'Right...' said James awkwardly, ruffling his hair. There was a long pause, then Remus said,

'All we have to do is add the toad spittle to the potion tonight, leave it to brew for seven more days, and then it will be ready.'

'TOAD SPITTLE! We have to drink this thing!'

'No yelling in the library Mr. Blackwood.' Snapped Madame Pince with a horrible glare as she walked past.

'First we need to get the toad spittle.' James pointed out.

'We have a half hour until dinner, so we may as well do it now.'

Later that night, the three marauders snuck into the forbidden forest under James' invisibility cloak. Remus carefully added the ingredient to the ever-bubbling brew, watching as the colour faded to blue.

'Just right.' Stated Remus. 'In exactly a week, it will be ready to drink. This better take us home.' James and Sirius muttered agreement. As they made their way back Sirius had an idea. And luckily, this time it wasn't quite so bad.

'Guys.' He hissed, as they approached the dark cobblestone castle which blended into the dark sky.

'What?' they chorused.

'We need to plan a goodbye prank, don't we?'


	15. Chapter 15

**A Brave Choice**

' Guys, I've been thinking and...' Remus bit his lip and looked down nervously. Sirius and James, who had been examining the people in the common room, trying to figure out who might be whose children, turned to him and raised their eyebrows in sync.

'Everything happens for a reason and, well, Harry defeated Voldemort, and many lives were saved. We can't change things. Do you know how hard it would be? What we just made one tiny mistake, glared at Peter one second too long...' He trailed off.

'So what you're saying is...?' inquired Sirius. Remus took a deep breath.

'What I'm saying is that we **can't** change anything. And the only way to do that is if... we forget we ever came here.' The marauders stared at each other silently, and Remus' heart raced. He couldn't force them to forget against their will, but something deep inside him told him how important it was that none of them remembered. His eyes met James' green and Sirius' brown ones- despite the changed colour he still recognized the boys behind them.

'You're right.' Stated Sirius solemnly. James looked at his hands- which were shaking- and nodded.

'I agree.' His voice was unnaturally steady. 'We can tell Harry and Ginny this weekend. If we sneak out of school to their place once the potion is ready they can obliviate us.'

 _Obliviate._ The word made it all seem so much more real, and Remus suppressed a shudder. He opened his mouth to agree when another voice spoke.

'Who can obliviate who?' Dennis Creevey stood behind them, his head boy badge glistening on his chest. The three boys' winced and they all thought the same thing- The common room is not a place for important- and secret- conversations.

'Nothing. Just joking around.' Said Sirius in the same smooth voice he used to get out of detention. Dennis shrugged, and turned away, calling over his shoulder as he went;

' You're late for potions, by the way.' The trio sprang up, heaving their bags over their shoulders. They clattered down the stone stairs to the dungeon, where the sixth year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors already waited. Slughorn looked up as they came in.

'Ahhhh boys, how nice of you to join us. Seeing as you missed the beginning of the lesson-' A group of Ravenclaws snickered at them –' Turn to page 53- Ageing potions, and get started.'

'Piertotum Locomotor! Vivermotus! Prohibicras!' Chanted Remus, waving his wand. 'There. We're done. Now can we go back to bed?' He asked.

'So you're sure this will work?' checked James.

'I know what I'm doing.' Snapped Remus. 'If you're so reluctant, next time do it yourself.' The three marauders were almost back at the common room when the sharp click of footsteps on stone floors alerted them of danger. They backed up against a wall just as Filch came into view, stalking down the corridor. They were all under disillusionment charms, but they didn't want to risk him banging into them.

'He won't see us.' Said Sirius confidently. 'He wouldn't notice someone under a disillusionment charm if they danced in his face.' Filch obviously heard something because he stopped walking, and his sharp gray eyes scored the corridor. However, after a moment, he turned away and resumed pacing down the hall. Just as the marauders thought they were going to get away with it though, Peeves swooped through the corridor, cackling madly.

'Peevsie can sense people here, of yes he can! Should he go tell Mr. Filchie?' James was shocked that Peeves would want to help Filch, even to get others in trouble, but recovered quickly and said,

'Shush, Peeves! We're setting up a prank. You like mischief, right?'

'Peevsie likes mischief, oh yes he does! He approves of pranks. But why should he let these three newbies go, hm?' He opened his mouth wide to call to Filch.

'NO, Peeves!' Cried Remus harshly. 'Please don't.' They would be in a lot of trouble for being out after curfew, and they definitely would not get away with their prank either if Filch caught them.

'Peevsie might agree, if the newbies would tell him why they have been stealing from Slughorn and going into the forbidden forest.' Said the poltergeist rather triumphantly. The marauders looked at each other. Finally, Sirius said,

'We've been preparing a potion. For a- a prank.' Peeves chortled, clearly amused, then whipped around and began to glide the other way.

'One more thing!' Called Remus, causing him to stop in his tracks. 'How did you see us?'

'Oh, Peevsie can sense people, yes he can. Disillusionment charms don't keep him from seeing you.' As he swooped off, he cackled over his shoulder. 'But take Peevsie's warning now, you're charm is wearing off!'

The next morning when the tables and benches quite literally got up and walked away- dancing as they did so- Professor McGonagall turned her steely gaze almost immediately to the marauders, who had not even bothered to sit down. James and Sirius were once again laughing hysterically, and the headmistress did not miss a beat.

'You did this.'

'Ah but professor,' Sirius started in his getting-out-of-trouble voice, 'You have no-'

'I am the headmistress, and proof or not, last time was suspicious enough. Now I am sure, you did this. You and Mr. Patterson will report to Filch's office at 7:00PM tomorrow.'

Sirius grumbled something under his breath about injustice- even though he knew very well that he had done it- and said, 'We're visiting our parents, remember?'

'I thought that was- very well, Wednesday then.' James and Sirius eagerly agreed, knowing that they would be leaving the day before, and would be unable to attend the detention. Some of the professors got up to go find the tables and bring them back, leaving the marauders virtually unnoticed in the hall of grumbling students.


	16. Chapter 16

**Divination**

With the marauders keyed to Harry's floo network, travel was much more straightforward. They threw the floo powder, whispered the name of Harry and Ginny's flat, and after the familliar flash of green and glitter of black, they stumbled out onto the faded hardwood floor. This time Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were all their waiting for them.

'Hello.' Greeted Hermione. 'How was your week?'

'Oh, good. We pulled a wicked goodbye prank.' Replied Sirius. Then of course, he proceeded to explain what the goodbye prank had entailed, much to the others amusement. They made idle chitchat for a while before Ron and Hermione left. A few minutes later Harry went off to make dinner rather dejectedly.

'It's his cooking night.' Explained Ginny, amused. For awhile, they made small talk about Hogwarts, their pranks, and Harry- until the subject of his childhood with the Dursleys came up, and Ginny admitted that they had not treated him well but would not say more; after which the conversation lapsed into silence. Luckily just then Harry returned and ushered them to the dining room table, on which sat steaming plates of cornish pasteries.

'Mmmm!' exclaimed Sirius, plopping down and shoving one instantly into his mouth. Remus winced at his horrible manners as he and James sat next to him.

'This is amazing.' Commented Remus after a few moments of silence.

'Thank you.' Said Harry in a hilariouis posh tone. Then he sobered up. 'I suppose after this weekend we won't see you again?'

'Not exactly.' Said Remus. 'You see, I- we- had an idea. Since we can't exactly trust ourselves to do nothing about our future, we thought...' he trailed off, so James finished for him.

'WeKindaWantYouToObliviateUs.' He said, all in one breath. Harry silently stared at his plate before looking up at them, his green eyes grim.

' You are brave, very brave.' He said, his voice hardly over a murmur. ' That is a brilliant idea. When will the potion be ready?' None the marauders spoke, finding themselves unable to find their voices. Finally, though, Sirius managed to pull himself together, and whispered.

' Late Tuesday night.'

' When it's done, floo straight here. We'll be ready.' Said Harry. They spoke no more on the matter that day, though on Saturday and Sunday the marauders told Harry all that they could about themselves, since _he_ was not forgetting about their visit. On Monday morning, the three boys retured to school, eagarly telling Dennis about the visit to their 'parents' when he asked. Then they headed to classes as normal, fully aware that in two days time they would be home, where they belonged.

'They have _Divination_ at Hogwarts?' Asked Remus in something akin to outrage.

'How have you gone to school here for a month and not know?' Asked Dennis.

'Well, we only took the basic courses!' Sirius defended.

'But- but seeing is something that you're born with, not something you can learn!' Cried Remus. Dennis rolled his eyes.

'As I was saying, I have Trelawney in Divination- I wish I got Fireze, he's strange, but certainly better. So today she said to me, in this weird, dark tone, and I quote  
"Those who don't belong here today, came and brought dangers our way. If they do not leave on cue, the dark lord may return anew." and afterwards she claimed that she hadn't said a thing! Would you believe it?' But they marauders weren't laughing, only staring at him with wide, scared eyes.

'Sorry, we've gotta go. Like, right now. BYE!' Blustered Sirius, pulling at his friends.

'Thanks for everything!' Added Remus in half-hearted thanks as he got up. In an instant, the Marauders were down the hallways and out of the school. The sun was setting over the forbidden forest, and they scuttled straight in. As soon as they were sufficiently far from the school, James exploded,

'Trelawney is that weirdo seventh year from our time. She's mad, I tell you, mad. That's not a real prediction, I'm sure.'

' But what if is she really is a seer and that _was_ a real prediction?' Cried Remus, in near hysterics.

'What would it mean?' asked James.

' Well,' Remus began, squinting his eyes in concentration, 'According to the book, after we add the root of shrivelfig tonight, it will be ready to drink, and every second from then on that we don't drink it, we will arrive one second later in our time. Maybe if we take too long, Voldemort will find out about the spell and use it to time travel?'

Sirius groaned. 'Great, let's hurry up then.' So they continued deeper into the foreboding forest. It was eerily silent, and the nettles patching the ground muffled their footsteps. The marauders navigated through the tall, threatening trees until they reached the clearing in which their potion lay. Remus stepped forward and drew the furled shrivelfig from his pocket. He slowly reached over and uncurled his fingers, dropping the plant into the sickly brown brew. There was a loud bang, and a gust of wind nearly knocked Remus over. With effort, Remus picked the caldron up and poured what remained of brew into a large vial. The potion had turned bright turquise, and glow and shine, illuminating the clearing around them.

'Come on. If what Trelawney predicted is true, we should get going now.' As Remus turned, he saw something, a figure, out of the corner of his eye. He froze, and the others followed his lead, stepping towards each other and drawing their wands as the figure, closely followed by another, stepped into the light of the potion.

'And what, may I ask, is going on here?' It was Proffesor Mcgonagall.


	17. Chapter 17

**No Time**

The marauders instinctively bunched together, drawing their wands. Professor McGonagall's glare doubled as she drew her own wand.

'I knew you were pranksters, but I cannot begin to guess why you are out here, brewing a potion I do not recognize after curfew.' Her voice was sharp, but she sounded only mildly curious. Sirius' fight or flight reflexes were going haywire, and he barely held his position. Suddenly, the shrill yet triumphant voice of Argus Filch drew the boys' attention.

'When Peeves first told me that three sixth years were brewing a strange potion in the forbidden forest, I'll admit I thought it might be a trap. But today, when I saw you sprinting from the school into the woods, I notified the headmaster. I'm relieved I did. What sort of dangerous concoction have you been making here? It could be-

'What are you brewing? Do you wish harm to Hogwarts or someone at Hogwarts? I always thought you seemed strange.' The Headmistress interjected, cutting Filch off. The marauders shared a glance, and silently agreed. It had to be done.

'STUPEFY!' They roared together, taking the headmistress by complete surprise. She barely had time to open her mouth to utter a counter-spell before three red jets hit her, hard; James could not hold back a wince at the sickening crunch with which she slammed into a nearby pine tree. Filch was left sputtering and shrieking incomprehensively as they backed off.

'You-y-you-attacked the-the-she-you- YOU'LL GET IN AZKABAN FOR THIS!'

'Stupefy.' Sirius heard James say blandly. Filch toppled to the floor.

'We have to go!' Remus cried. Sirius agreed completely. The prophecy weighed heavily on his mind, and now, every second that they spent here was one second later that they got home. Peter would be missing them. PETER! As they hustled through the forest, Sirius reflected on what they had discovered. Peter would do that to them- and they were letting him! They were going to forget everything! They were going back to their inevitable deaths! He forced himself not to think about it. It was too late to go back now, besides, he was glad that Harry had gotten to see him and Remus again- and meet James. As they emerged from the forest, it became apparent that they had one more obstacle to face. Hagrid was pacing just outside his hut, wand in hand. Wait- wand? When did Hagrid get his wand back? Sirius shook his head to clear it. The Headmistress had obviously told him what was going on. The others looked to him instinctively before remembering that the invisibility cloak was back in their time- or maybe somewhere here, but not with them. Remus made some confusing hand motions which James translated into " Follow me then jump a mile into the air and put on a dress." Wait... that couldn't be right! But Remus was already moving slowly away along the tree line, James right behind him. He scrambled after them, disconcerted in the sudden darkness- Remus had hidden the potion under his cloak. After a while of weaving in and out of the trees, they began to circle back around, stumbling over rocks and logs as they did. Eventually they reached the entrance to the school, and just as they slipped inside, a commotion near Hagrid's hut distracted him. He motioned for the others to stop, and watched, transfixed with horror, as Professor McGonagall burst from the woods, Filch on her heel.

'Did they come through here? Did you see them? They are death eaters, trying to get revenge!' She shrieked.

'Wow, jumping to conclusions much?' whispered James, but Sirius payed little attention.

'We have to hurry! They're on our tail!'

They were sprinting down the halls now, their slapping footsteps echoing loudly are the corridors. They reached the headmistresses office sooner than expected, but they quickly realized a huge problem. They didn't know the password.

' The Gryffindor common room is just around there. I'll bet Dennis knows the password, being headboy and all.' Said Sirius.

'There's no time for that!' cried Remus hysterically.

'Wait there!' Called James, and they were already around the corner before Remus could reply. The stone stairs seemed much longer to Sirius then they had been in their time- or even a day ago. They ran up them in such a frenzy that he forgot the trip step, sending him sprawling. But the time he was up again, James was saying the password to the Fat Lady. As they clambered through, they were wondrously relived to see Dennis writing an essay at one of the common room desks.

'Dennis!' James exploded. 'What's the password to the headmistresses office? You must know it; It's urgent!'

' Yes, the headmistress tells Emma and I the password to her office in case of emergency. It's Asphodel. I can come with you if-' Sirius heard no more, as they were once again clattering down the stairs, the Fat Lady calling indignantly after them. He, in haste, forgot the trip step once again, and this time James could not hide his snicker. However, as he tried to continue on down, Sirius felt horribly dizzy. Falling down was much worse than falling up, he noted. James noticed his troubles and extended his arm which he gratefully clung to. Luckily, the dizziness faded quickly and he was able to run again. When they got back, neither stopped for a second, hearing the approaching footsteps and shouts, but cried to the gargoyle as one-

'ASPHODEL!' It moved painfully slowly, and the moment that the cobblestone steps were revealed, they were running up them. The floo powder was waiting on the mantle and they each grabbed a handful. The loud stomps of Hagrid- echoed by McGonagall and Filch's- could be clearly heard rushing up the stairs. James went first, followed by Remus, who was clutching the potion to his chest like it was the most important thing in the world. The door flew open and Sirius sprang into the fireplace before the green blaze had even faded away. Professor McGonagall stood the doorway, her wand out. Sirius recited the address, throwing the floo powder messily about him.

' _Stupefy!_ ' Through the green fire and black dust, Sirius saw the spell coming towards him. Then the headmistresses' office was sucked away into blackness as he flooed away.


End file.
